A Light in the Darkness
by T-Bear2
Summary: One night during the summer, four visiters from the past come to help the Boy-Who-Lived. Before 5th year.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter  
  
A Light in the Darkness  
  
Prologue   
  
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The night was calm and quiet throughout the houses. Now a person was a wake in Surrey. But on a certain street, in a certain house, in a certain room, a young boy shivered violently. His mouth was open in a silent scream while tears streamed down his cheeks. A soft light radiated off the boy, giving the room an eerie glow. The tanned skin gave off a shine from the sweat glistening in the light.  
  
His breathing became labored as his face contorted in agony. Even though the mouth was wide open, the sounds that he emitted were chocked whimpers and sounded forced.  
  
After about an hour of apparent torture, the boy's body slackened and his breathing eased. With only a few seconds of rest the, relaxed body tensed up and the light that had been fading burst into a blinding whiteness that filled the room.  
  
When the light faded, the boy was no longer alone. In the middle of the room stood four people. The only movement the boy did was turn over and fall into a deeper sleep, not knowing what had happened in the night.  
  
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AN: This is the first part, I know that it is short, but think of it as a tester. You know, give a little taste and then see how people like it to see if there will be much more onto this.  
  
BROWNIE POINTS if you can guess who the four people are. (they are from the past) 


	2. Who Are You

Disclaimer: HP isn't mine  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
Who Are You?  
  
"Boy! Wake up! Fix my Dudders breakfast!" A screech called through the door along with a quick rap of Petunia Dursley's knuckles. Quick footsteps echoed down the hall as she got ready for her son's fifteenth birthday.  
  
Harry Potter groaned and rubbed his eyes. He was still fourteen and had until the end of the month until his birthday. Harry had lived with the Dursley's since he was just over a year old. His parents had been murdered and Harry had been sent to live with his mother's sister, Petunia. The dark wizard that killed his parents was resurrected the year before and now the protection at his relative's house was more important than ever before.  
  
Harry reached for his glasses and yawned. When he opened his eyes, the sight before him almost made him scream. Before him stood four people that he never expected to see. He had only seen them in pictures before.  
  
Standing before him was the founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry shot up and scuttled back until he hit the wall.  
  
"Who are you?" A tall man with whitish blonde hair asked.  
  
"Harry. Harry Potter." He stuttered. "Sir." He hastily added. "What-what are you doing here?" Harry looked closer at the four people and noticed that they didn't really look very much like they did in the pictures and that they most likely were not the founders. They couldn't be, after all the founders were dead.  
  
"Allow me to introduce us. I am Helga Hufflepuff, that man is Godric Gryffindor," the tall red head pointed to the pail man that had first spoken, "that is Rowena Ravenclaw," she pointed to a short girl with light brown hair, "and the man scowling in the corner is Salazar Slytherin." The man that was pointed to had a striking resemblance to both Harry and Tom Riddle.  
  
"You can't be, you all died a thousand years ago." Harry's voice trembled slightly.  
  
"I know we died. It happens to everyone. I can remember my life; I'm just in the form of when I was 38, as are the rest of them." Ravenclaw said tersely. Intelligent blue eyes looked at Harry through glasses that sat delicately on her nose.  
  
"Why are you here then?" Harry asked.  
  
"I should be asking the same of you, or rather why you brought us here." Slytherin sneered as he approached Harry's slight frame.  
  
"I-I didn't bring you here! I just woke up and you were here! I swear!" Slytherin grasped Harry's chin in a surprisingly gentle grip and forced the boy to look into eyes so like his own.  
  
"It involves too much magic for you to access at your age anyway. How old are you? 12? 13?"   
  
"I'm almost fifteen." Harry growled.  
  
"Still too young. Helga, come over here and find out how he has access to so much magic already. Wizards don't start to mature until they are seventeen. And even then it takes over a year to gain even half of their full amount." Slytherin said.  
  
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.  
  
"The reason witches and wizards go to school from age 11 to 17 is that you are to learn the spells with only a small amount of magic and a large amount of thought. School is to develop your skill and knowledge. During your last year, your true magic begins to emerge and the teachers help you to control it." Slytherin said, much the same way a parent answers their child's question. His tone was explaining and almost coaxing Harry to understand it, not sounding as though the question was stupid like many teachers sounded.  
  
"It appears that a powerful spell was used when he was very young and it has been chipping at his magic's walls all this time. It looks like the spell was originally meant to drain the person of magic, and life. But instead it is just feeding his magic, in a sense, by allowing a lot of magic free before he matures." The tall redhead said from where she had moved next to Harry.  
  
"So how did I, er, summon you?" Harry asked.  
  
"You must have wanted help and your unconscious mind chose us." Ravenclaw said.  
  
"Boy! If you don't get down here right now you will get a beating you'll never forget!" Vernon's roar rang through the house. Harry jumped quickly, accidentally ramming his head into Slytherin's face. The black-haired man let out a grunt of pain as he grabbed his face. Harry looked horrified.  
  
"I'm so sorry Mr. Slytherin!" A bark of laugher came from Gryffindor. Slytherin shot the man a glare.  
  
"Shut up." He grumbled. He then turned to Harry. "Call me Salazar; never call me Mr. Slytherin." Harry nodded sharply.  
  
"Boy!" Thundering footsteps boomed under Uncle Vernon's massive weight. Harry jumped up and ran to the door. The second he opened it, his uncle's fist shot out at Harry's face. The teen was light enough for his feet to leave the ground and for a moment he was completely airborne. The fat man grabbed a broken baseball bat and brought it down on the boy. As Uncle Vernon rose the bat for another strike, a light flickered and a sword was at the man's neck.  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Gryffindor said harshly. Anger turned his light blue eyes into a stormy grey.  
  
"What. What. How. Who. _What are you doing in my house_!" Uncle Vernon yelled.  
  
"Leave the boy alone, muggle." Gryffindor snarled. A sickening smell filled the room as a wet spot appeared on Vernon Dursley's pants. "Leave before I kill you." The fat man nodded hastily as he ran from the room.   
  
"Petunia! Dudley! We're leaving! Now!" He yelled.  
  
"What as that?" Gryffindor asked, a repulsed look on his face.   
  
"My uncle Vernon. I'm in my Aunt Petunia's care since my parents were murdered. My mom was Aunt Petunia's sister." Harry explained.  
  
"That thing was disgusting." Ravenclaw's nose wrinkled in disgust.  
  
"My cousin Dudley is fatter then he is tall." Harry said. "The school doesn't make large enough clothes, so if he doesn't loose weight he can get kicked out."  
  
"Look at you! Skin and bones and you're saying that you're cousin is extremely _fat_!" Helga yelled.  
  
"They don't like me much." Harry shrugged, too used to the fact that his only living family wished him dead.  
  
"Those glasses really don't flatter you." Salazar said. Harry glared at him. "I just finished a potion for eyesight and haven't gotten around to testing it, yet." He explained.  
  
"Salazar! You are not _testing_ a potion on him!" Rowena gasped.  
  
"I don't mind." Harry said. Slytherin looked almost giddy.  
  
"Good, good. Now drink this." He gave Harry a vial of pink liquid and Harry drank it in a quick gulp after removing his glasses. It tasted like chalk, but the reaction was very sudden. His vision cleared so fast that he got a headache. He collapsed from dizziness and blinked a bit to get used to seeing without glasses.  
  
"I can see!" Harry gasped.  
  
"Of course you can! I made the potion!" Salazar sounded almost insulted save for the broad grin across his face.  
  
"All right, now here's what I think the plan should be. We change ourselves into teenagers and Salazar will make a potion that will make everyone that doesn't already _know_ who we really are see us as teenagers. But until the potion is finished, then we would look like our teenage selves." Rowena said proudly.  
  
"So, you just decide for us all I see." Godric sneered.  
  
"Yes, and you will agree because it is a good plan." Rowena snapped.  
  
"She has you there." Helga smiled.  
  
"Is there even such a potion?" Harry asked.  
  
"Sure there is Harry, m'boy!" Godric roared, slapping Harry's back. "First potion Salazar ever invented, he wanted to move around unknown. Never did write it down."  
  
"Of course not! I don't want anyone using it against me!" Salazar snorted.  
  
"I guess that makes sense. How long will it take to make and how long will it last?" Harry asked.  
  
"It will take thirteen days and I carry portable potion ingredients with me, always." Salazar's voice had become more serious. "It lasts until the person drinks the counter-potion." He looked at Harry. "Is there a room that I can make a potion in?" He asked.  
  
"You can clear Dudley's room out. That would leave the master bedroom and the guestroom for you to sleep in." Harry answered.  
  
"You _only_ have _four_ rooms!" Godric was very shocked.  
  
"Well, I used to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs. My uncle moved up here because he was afraid of Professor Dumbledore. This really isn't my room, it's Dudley's second bedroom." Harry shrugged. "My relatives are muggles."  
  
"I can see." Salazar sneered. "This is unfortunate." Harry rolled his eyes at Salazar's obvious dislike of muggles.  
  
"Just start on the potion." Rowena sighed.  
  
"Don't you four have to change your appearance?" Harry asked.  
  
"Right you are." Godric gave a slight smile and all of them started to change.  
  
"But, you didn't say anything!" Harry gasped.  
  
"Um, no. Why would we?" Godric asked, confused. Harry just shook his head in amazement.  
  
"Right, let's get started. I am going to clean up this place." Helga said. "The smell is horrendous and nothing makes it look like home." Her nose wrinkled in disgust.  
  
"Can I see your schoolbooks? I want to see what you kids are being taught." Rowena asked politely.  
  
"Sure, they're locked up in my room, under the stairs." She nodded and left. That left only Harry and Godric.  
  
"What house are you in?" Godric asked.  
  
"Your house. The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, but Gryffindor was a close second. I had to beg it not to put me in Slytherin." Harry said.  
  
"Hat?"  
  
"Oh, the sorting hat. It sorts us into the four houses."  
  
"Oh. Oh!" Godric grinned. "Didn't like Salazar's house, eh?"   
  
"Well, I had heard a lot of rumors and I had met someone from that house and he isn't a very good person. All of his family has been in Slytherin for many generations. Their head of house hates me, though I didn't know that until after the sorting. The whole bloody house hates me." Harry growled, annoyed.  
  
"Well, I tell ya one thing. We will not be in our own houses when we got to Hogwarts. That would be bad. I mean, hey can't figure out who we really are if we are young and in different houses." Godric explained.  
  
"I see. So, where are you guys going to sleep?" Harry asked.  
  
"Well, I guess Salazar and myself will sleep in the guestroom and the girls can sleep in the master bedroom." Godric said.  
  
"Can I ask you something personal?" Harry asked, nervously.  
  
"I might not answer."  
  
"People say that the founders, uh, you guys, um, had. Slept together." Harry finished quickly, face burning in embarrassment. He had to have his curiosity fulfilled and this was the best way to find out, way to go Gryffindor courage. Godric looked at Harry curiously before he threw his head back and laughed. Harry felt his face flush even more. When Godric finished laughing, he brushed his pale blond hair out of his face and grinned.  
  
"No, none of us ever slept with any of the others. We met when we were all 22 and all of us were married. Helga had two kids already and she and my wife were both expecting." Gryffindor shook his head lightly in amusement. "They think we did that?"  
  
"Well, they don't even say that any of you were married." Harry said, his eyes were glaring and his lower lip stuck out a bit.  
  
"You look just like Salazar when he pouts." Godric chuckled.  
  
"I don't pout Gryffindor!" Harry yelled, though the words were twice as loud because Salazar's voice also joined his.  
  
"Helga has finished making dinner." Salazar said icily. During dinner, the founders discussed what had happened during their day. Rowena spoke the most, talking about what she had learned and how they teach with a wand now. Helga spoke briefly about what she had done to the house and Salazar explained that he had gotten the most difficult part of the potion finished. Helga also complained about the filth in Dudley's room and the stench of the house.  
  
Helga served desert and Godric cleared his throat. "You three won't believe what the kids today think of us." Harry buried his head in his arms. "They think that we were lovers." Godric snickered at the shocked look on his friend's faces.  
  
"How could _anyone_ think that!" Helga sounded scandalized. "Who started that?" She demanded of Harry.  
  
"I don't know. The older students said it." Harry held his hands up in defense. "It's even suggested in Hogwarts A History."  
  
"Well it's not true, so wipe that idea from your mind." Salazar growled. "So who are our heirs?" He asked.  
  
"Well, the only known heir is your, Salazar. He is a half-blood named Tom Riddle. Now he calls himself Voldemort and is the new Dark Lord. He wants to kill me most of all." Harry said. "He's opened the Chamber of Secrets with the basilisk twice."  
  
"Really?" Salazar asked.  
  
"The basilisk is dead. I killed it." Harry gave a wince at the glare his way. "Well it was the basilisk or me, there wasn't really an option and if it makes you feel any better, the bloody snake bit me." Salazar raised and eyebrow. "Phoenix tears."  
  
"That doesn't excuse you, you still killed my basilisk."  
  
"Why would you have such a dangerous creature in a _school _anyway?" Harry sneered.  
  
"I don't have to answer to a brat like you." Salazar sneered back.  
  
"Then don't get on my case for killing it." Harry got up and left the table.  
  
"And where are you going!" Salazar demanded.  
  
"To sleep!" Harry shot as he stormed up the stairs.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AN: Looking for beta. Sorry this was so long in coming, three days after school got out, i broke the nail on my middle finger about a fourth of the way down, maybe more. So typing was a bit painfull then.  
  
Thank you:  
  
Amy Potter 14  
  
update me- you get brownie points!  
  
Coreys-angel- you get brownie points too.  
  
Andine- you get most of the brownie point, but not all  
  
schmidie-lee83- you get half of the brownie points  
  
athenakitty- brownie points and they talk to him in this chappie   
  
FroBoy- brownie points  
  
Lady Phoenix Slytherin- brownie points  
  
estrella solitaria- it was short because it is really only the intro to the story, not a true chappie 


	3. Summer's End

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!  
  
Warning: I KNOW that Sirius died in the fifth book, but in this, I messed up and so he died in Harry's fourth year, at the end. So the time line is a bit screwed up, but bear with me. And it just sort of happened, I love Sirius and I am sad that I killed him off, but I didn't have much control over that as crazy as it sounds.

* * *

CHAPTER TWO

Summer's End

* * *

"So we go to Hogwarts under Greg Gryff, Sylvester Snake, Robin Claw, and Hellen Hummer? What kind of names are those?" Godric asked, a little put out.  
  
"Sorry for my lack of imagination, at least the names are similar to your real names." Harry snorted. "Dumbledore is sending our school supplies and a key that you four can use at Gringotts if you ever need it. We also need to get you guys a wand."  
  
"I still don't want a wand." Salazar grumbled.  
  
"Oh buck up! It's not that bad!" Helga said cheerfully.  
  
"I think a wand would dull our magic enough to make everyone think that we just had extra training. We were home-schooled and our parents died in a horrible potion accident while we were out. We found a relative, Harry, because he and Sal are distant relatives." Rowena reminded Salazar.  
  
"Yes, yes! I know that!" Salazar snapped. "It doesn't mean that I have to like it!"  
  
"What if they decide to do a blood test?" Harry asked.  
  
"You look enough like me. We should have the family tree test done by next week so we can see if there is a slight chance of us being related. Then if we aren't, a small potion will fix it all up, don't worry." Salazar reassured Harry.  
  
During the summer, Harry had explained what was going on during the present and the five roommates mostly just hung out with each other. They had fallen into a simple routine that satisfied everyone. Before breakfast was time to spend alone. From breakfast to dinner, they hung out together and after dinner was devoted to studying and learning until they went to bed.  
  
A few days later all five witches or wizards stood around a paper that told Harry's family history. "Well, it looks like my sister's granddaughter was a squib and her line continued to marry into muggles until finally after diluting almost all trace of magic, your mother was born. My father's sister's line goes into your father's line. Your father also has diluted Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. It really is a long list of purebloods. When a family is diluted of a name, that means that the family doesn't have any heirs from that name in the family, and most likely any males either." Salazar said, explaining the colorful chart to Harry.

The chart was covered with names, though only the wizarding families had it continued back down the line. The muggles were black, squibs were red, wizards were blue, and witches were purple. Magical creatures, whether born or made, were green.  
  
"So if they test us, it will show you as a distant relative?" Harry asked. "What if they have a new potion that shows more exactly what it is?"  
  
"There is hope for you yet." Salazar sneered before thinking about the second question. "Well, I think that if they had something more exact, then it would be more expensive and we are only going to say distant relatives."  
  
"I still don't get it." Godric said grumpily.  
  
"Anything to do with potions cannot be comprehended by an idiot like you." Salazar snapped. He almost sounded offended that someone could _not_ want to know about potions.  
  
"Well, _you_ can't grasp the concept of transfiguration!" Godric shot back.  
  
"Well _sorry_ Mr. Multi-Animagus." Salazar spat.  
  
"_You're_ a multi-animagus?" Harry gasped.  
  
"It's a trait carried only in Gryffindor blood. It doesn't show up in every generation and it is usually two normal animals and a magical animal. The trait only matures when a person turns fifteen." Godric explained.  
  
"What about the rest of you?" Harry asked, "I mean, if you all have something." He added hurriedly.  
  
"Well, the Hufflepuff line has a special communication with plants. It allows them to _do_ all magic, but they are best with Herbology. Oh! We also live longer then most; my eleventh great grandfather lived to be three hundred and fifty six years old, I think." Helga said proudly.  
  
"Charms, all spells and curses." Ravenclaw clipped.  
  
"I guess it makes sense. All of the Head of Houses are professors of those subjects." Harry muttered.  
  
"Of course. The Potion master is always head of Slytherin, Transfiguration is Gryffindor, Charms is Ravenclaw, and Herbology is Hufflepuff. The professor doesn't even have to be from that house. Like, the Potions professor and Slytherin Head of House could be from Gryffindor." Salazar explained.  
  
"But why?"  
  
"Those were the classes for the houses." Godric said as though it was obvious. Harry looked even more confused but decided to drop the subject.  
  
"All right, if you say so." Harry said uncertainly.  
  
The next few days were uneventful. The supplies for five people arrived, using almost twenty owls. After those arrived, the five went to Diagon Ally shortly so that they could get the founders their wands. That was uneventful until Salazar used wandless magic to make all of the wands and boxes go all over the place and cursed them so Ollivander couldn't just use a spell and make them all go back to their correct places as they left.  
  
Three days after the trip Harry's birthday arrived. At the stroke of midnight, Harry collapsed while waiting for the annual resents. Pain wracked his body. His vision swam and his scream was so scratchy that it tore at his throat. The pain faded after almost an hour, leaving Harry panting as Salazar burst into the room. Dry sobs shook his body as he tried to force out all traces and memories of the pain. He didn't cry tears, he was pass tears, the pain was so great. When it reached its peak, it had slowly faded until all that remained was a slight discomfort and the feeling that something wasn't right.  
  
"Harry?" Salazar called. "Is today your birthday?" Harry nodded slightly.  
  
"Wha' 'appened?" Harry slurred. He felt as though he had just ran a mile in 110-degree heat, using magic the whole way. He felt dry of any and all energy and magic.  
  
"You just came into your inheritance. All wizards and witches go through it on their fifteenth birthday." Salazar explained after he levitated Harry onto the bed.  
  
"'uggle 'orns?"  
  
"Even mudbloods. The ministry sends a letter to their families to explain it and to say that they can't do anything about it. The more you inherit, the more pain you're in. If there isn't anything to inherit, it is even more painful because the magic forces you to _create_ something that your kin can inherit." Salazar paused when he saw that Harry looked as though he might pass out. "Tomorrow we can discuss more, sleep will help the magic adapt to your body faster." As soon as Harry heard that, he let go of the will he was using to stay awake and fell asleep immediately.  
  
The next morning, Harry woke up to a tingling sensation that flowed through his entire body. He lay there for a moment until it wore off. After he was feeling normal, he got up to eat the breakfast that he could already smell cooking.  
  
"Good morning Harry." Helga said cheerfully when Harry sat at the table. Harry gave her a small smile.  
  
"G'mornin'." He mumbled. Rowena and Godric were already at the table while Salazar was nowhere to be found.  
  
"Sal! Breakfast!" Helga only had to raise her voice slightly and Salazar's clunking footsteps sounded on the stairs. The five ate breakfast quietly. When they were done, Salazar lightly placed a hand on Harry's shoulder so he could lead him into the front room. (AN: I think that's what the British call it, I call it that half the time and living room the other half so what ever you call it, it's usually the first room you enter with the couches and sometimes a tv.)  
  
"Harry, what questions do you have about the inheritance. Drink this potion, it will clear your memory of our conversation last night. Then ask any questions you still have." Salazar handed Harry a goblet of something that was puke pink in color.  
  
"Is it vomit?" Harry asked, feeling his own stomach churn.  
  
"There are no chunks in it and it smells like herbs." Salazar rolled his eyes. Harry closed his eyes and threw his head back so that he drank the potion in one gulp. What had been foggy and full of holes had cleared completely and Harry remembered almost every word that was said from last night.  
  
"I thought that we matured at seventeen." He said first.  
  
"You do, that is your magic maturing and it happens very slowly, so it isn't painful. Your inheritance comes at fifteen and it comes very fast so it is painful. You have adjusted magic for two years, not an increase in magic, like you would after maturing." Rowena explained.  
  
"How do I figure out what I got?" Harry asked.  
  
"You learn about it when you do it. The only way to know your inheritance is so use it. About half of the wizards and witches never figure it out." Salazar answered.  
  
"So half of the wizarding world go through all that pain and have nothing to show for it?" Harry gasped.  
  
"Well, there _is_ a spell to force it out of you. The only problem is that it is _extremely_ painful. Most people die from the pain alone and the person that casts the spell must have and recognize a type of inheritance call ancestry-heredity. The spell also causes the caster great pain and ancestry-heredity is usually only found in one out of every _thousand_ wizards and witches. Half of them never even recognize it because they have no reason to." Rowena explained.  
  
"But, does it hurt when a person recognizes their inheritance?" Harry asked.  
  
"No, it usually doesn't. The reason it hurts when you _get_ your inheritance is because your magic is adjusting to handle new abilities." Salazar said from where he sat next to Harry on the couch.  
  
"But what if you get more then one inheritance?" Harry asked.  
  
"You never recognize more then one inheritance at a time, so no, it doesn't hurt. A lot of people get all three inheritances, but then only recognizes one of them, usually the weaker one." Salazar answered.  
  
"Can two families have the same inheritance?" Harry asked.  
  
"Of course. Unless never in the history of the two families did anyone in both families ever have children together. But that is extremely rare and is entirely unpredictable. No one can trace their linage back to the beginning of time. And muggle borns usually inherit something from a family that had been long dead." Salazar said.  
  
"Are there any type of words?" Harry asked.  
  
"What do you mean?" Godric asked.  
  
"Like for a spell, or at least do you think there might be words needed to use the inheritance in my time?"  
  
"No, Harry. A person's inheritance is always working once it is recognized. The person only needs to call on it. Now there are certain spells that can only be used by someone with a certain inheritance. Those might need a spell." Rowena said.  
  
"Then I can't think of anything else to ask."  
  
"Good. Did you get any presents?" Helga asked.  
  
"I _completely_ forgot! I was thinking so much about inheritance." Harry yelped eyes wide in surprise. He ran up the stairs, stumbling halfway up, and ran into his room. He stopped in the doorway when all he saw was one lone letter on the desk under the window. He felt his heart twist as he walked over. Half of him wanted to run away while the other half wanted to read it out of curiosity. He reached the desk and opened the envelope with trembling hands.  
  
'Dear Harry,  
  
Happy Birthday. Dumbledore wouldn't let us leave the house so we weren't able to get you anything. It is safer to send one letter.  
  
Ron George Fred

Hermione Ginny'  
  
"Harry? Did you get any presents?" Salazar asked from the doorway. Harry shook his head.  
  
"But it's the thought that counts. At least they didn't forget about me." Harry said in a strangled voice. He was about to put the letter away when he came upon a smaller, thicker package. He turned the envelope upside down and it slid out. Harry opened it to reveal a ring with a thick chain running through it. The ring was a thick gold band with a large emerald in the center and a small ruby on each side of the emerald. Harry looked at the small package and saw that it was really folded up parchment. He opened it up and flattened it before reading.  
  
'Harry,  
  
I'm not one fore writing letters. Happy Birthday. The ring was the ring that Sirius got from your grandparents when he reached his inheritance. They had it specially made for him to wear when he finished growing. He couldn't stop talking about your inheritance and this was going to be your present. I put a chain through it because your hands are thinner then his were.  
  
Remus'  
  
Harry had tears in his eyes that he wouldn't let fall as he read the letter. Harry just stared at the letter and ring until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Harry yelped and jumped around to see Salazar's stern face.  
  
"What's that?" He asked.  
  
"Sirius' inheritance ring. Remus gave it to me." Harry said. Salazar nodded before sweeping out of the room.  
  
The rest of the summer passed quickly. They took the Knight Bus to Kings Cross station. All of them had a trolley to 9 3/4. Harry had to explain to the wizards of the past how to get through the barrier and about what a train was. The five of them found an empty compartment and sat down. They had arrived forty-five minutes early so they sat in silence until the compartment door burst open to show Ron and Hermione.  
  
"Where _were_ you!" Hermione scolded. "We were waiting for you!"  
  
"Sorry." Harry muttered, looking at his hands.  
  
"And you didn't even save us a seat! Who are they! Are they your new _friends_?" Ron spat, his ears as red as his hair. Godric and Salazar stood quickly.  
  
"I don't know _who_ you are, but yes, we are friends with Harry." Godric snapped.  
  
"Harry is my relative, and we are living with him." Salazar explained without really saying anything.  
  
"_Who_ are you then?" Hermione sniffed. Godric rose an eyebrow at her.  
  
"You may go now." He sniffed, sounding like Malfoy when he talked to the younger years.  
  
"No we may _not_!" Hermione snapped back.  
  
"You are dismissed. Are you not learned enough to understand that?" Rowena said calmly.  
  
"I am not stupid!" Ron yelled.  
  
"She never said you were, you came to that conclusion on your own." Helga added in her two knuts.  
  
"Some best friend you are, Harry." Ron hissed angrily, the redness of his ears spread to his neck.  
  
"Ron, they're new and they are Sly's friends. They aren't some first years, they are our age." Harry glared at the two Gryffindors.  
  
"Yeah? Well the blond looks like a relative of Malfoy, why didn't they stay _there_ instead?" Ron growled.  
  
"He isn't a Malfoy. And they might all end up in Gryffindor." Harry scolded.  
  
"I bed they all go to Slytherin, just _looking_ like Malfoy ought to qualify him to be a slimy snake." Harry didn't know whether to laugh or get made at Ron's remark. The founders all had poker faces on and Harry decided to get rid of his friends.  
  
"But aren't you guys supposed to be in the prefect's compartment?" Harry asked. "The train started fifteen minutes ago." He drawled.  
  
Hermione started to say something, but then her cheeks turned pink and she started to drag Ron away from the door just as a voice that sounded like McGonagall said, "Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, why aren't you present at the prefect's meeting?" The door slid quickly shut as the two prefects followed their head of house, looking down in embarrassment and shame.  
  
The ride to Hogwarts was silent and when they got out at the station, Harry directed them to a carriage. Rowena and Helga got into one while Godric, Salazar, and Harry got into another. Harry was about to shut the door when another teenager entered. Harry didn't even bother to look at him, or at least Harry thought it was a he, and he shut the door.  
  
Harry sat down next to Salazar and finally looked at the newest addition to the carriage.  
  
It was none other then Draco Malfoy and he was sitting next to Godric Gryffindor.  
  
"Potter?" Harry would have said that Malfoy was surprised, but Malfoys did _not_ gasp in surprise.  
  
"Malfoy?" Harry drawled in return.  
  
"This is the Malfoy you were talking about? They look awfully similar." Salazar said to Harry, referring to Godric and Malfoy. Harry looked between the pair and decided that they did look very much alike. Though Godric was more muscular and had calluses on his roughish features instead of Malfoy's smooth skin. It only pointed out that Malfoy was served and did _not_ work.  
  
"I beg your pardon." Malfoy sneered, eyes darting between the other three in the carriage.  
  
"It's just, well, you see, Greg here is the _poster boy_ for Gryffindor." Harry snorted slightly at the end. "Poster boy is the term meaning stands for or has all of the characteristics of." Harry explained. The carriage stopped and all four got out. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

* * *

AN: In case you didn't read the warning at the top, READ IT!!! VERY IMPORTANT!!!! Sorry for not updating, I type before I leave for school, so that's about a half hour a day then not much on weekends. I also have the whole, I have to write the stuff.  
  
And if anyone reads this, I don't really like to self-advertise, but I have a story called Two Worlds and it is a crossover, but it takes place in the Harry Potter universe. I really would like to hear if people like it or not.  
  
Also! (I know, enough with the author notes, but this one is important, really!) I did not take inheritance or maturing from anywhere! I did see it in other stories, but I did not take it from them. That is just the words my hands wrote. So I did not take it from anyone. This is all me!  
  
Review time!  
Thanks to:  
  
hermione21- is this long enough? Not terribly long, but longer then the previous one.  
  
Ayan- that's alright, I don't mind if you find it funny. I don't really have that good of a sense of humor and no one ever likes the stories that I write that I try to make funny so that makes me feel pretty good. But no, I didn't try to make it funny.  
  
Timra  
  
shadow64  
  
Prongsblacks  
  
athenakitty- uh, slow down! hopefully some of your answers were answered in this chappie. Uh, he found out about Voldemort last chappie. Yes, I just am not writing about them getting updated on the world, that would take too long and possibly ruin the plot. Not sure, my hands are doing this story, not me.  
  
AgnesSophia- yup! It's a secret alright!  
  
FroBoy  
  
GwEnDoLyN P. MaLfOy- you're one of those complicated names. That's alright, though, I don't mind, puts my fingers to the test when I type it. - And in response to your review, my brother likes bananas so the monkeys don't get to me.  
  
Kaori7395  
  
Lady Phoenix Slytherin- and you're right! BROWNIE POINTS!!!


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